Conventional foldable portable terminal devices that are typically used are reduced in size and weight by designs such as an internal component arrangement and a housing structure. Among such foldable portable terminal devices, a foldable portable telephone, for example, includes a first housing provided with a display unit, an receiver, an antenna, and so on, and a second housing provided with an operating unit having a main operational function, a microphone, and so on.
As shown in FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B, a foldable portable terminal device is known which is configured such that speaker 88 for notifying a user of an incoming call or outputting warning sound and speaker sound hole 89 other than receiver 86 are provided on a surface of first housing 81 facing away from display unit 87, and that the user may easily catch sound outputted from speaker 88 with the housing being folded. In fact, such a configuration is useful, because a ringing tone is often outputted when the foldable portable terminal device is not used, that is, in a folded state.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2003-60757, for example, discloses a portable telephone that is designed so that sound outputted from speaker 98 may be easily caught only with a single speaker with the housing being either closed or opened by providing speaker 98 for a surface having an operating unit on second housing 92, as well as opening 97 for first housing 91 so that speaker 98 and speaker sound hole 99 are exposed when first housing 91 is overlaid.
In the meantime, as a recent foldable portable terminal device, along with built-in functionalities of gaming, television, and camera, a rotatably foldable portable terminal device having a hinge unit of a dual axis structure that may be foldable with a display unit facing outside has been put into practical use. In this case, if the speaker sound hole is provided on a surface facing away from the display unit of the first housing as in the case of a conventional foldable portable telephone, there is a problem that the sound cannot be caught easily, because the speaker sound hole faces inside when the portable telephone is folded with the display unit facing outside.
Further, while utilizing the opening disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2003-60757 may solve the above problem, however, this also increases design restrictions for components on an upper housing and a design, because it is necessary to provide an opening for the first housing, which requiring reduction of an area of the display unit and substrate in the first housing.
The present invention provides a solution for the above problem, by providing a foldable portable terminal device with which it is possible to secure a space for sound outputted from the speaker to be transmitted even when the speaker sound hole faces inside, thereby making the sound outputted from the speaker be easily caught and reducing the restrictions for other components.